Happy New Year and welcome to your January e-newsletter! We’re thrilled to kick off 2023 with a very exciting webinar on Tuesday 17 January when we will welcome Dr Wen Hwa Lee, CEO of Action Against Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AAAMD). AAAMD is a collaboration between the Macular Society, Sight Scotland Veterans and Blind Veterans UK and is hoping to stop AMD in its tracks, by stopping the early stages of the disease developing into sight loss. Lee will be discussing a new project his team is working on to encourage people to submit eye scans for research. Read on to find out more and we hope to see you there. In the meantime, we’ll keep you in touch with all the latest news on macular disease. So here’s to a great new year, bringing us one step closer to beating macular disease.
More on all the stories below can be found here
“I didn’t know how many people were like me”
Like many others diagnosed with macular disease, Margaret had no idea what the condition was and how many others were affected. After experiencing the fear and isolation of the condition first hand, the 79-year-old is now keen to help others in need of support.
Tackling treatment delays
The Macular Society’s Advice and Information Service is here to help if you are experiencing delays in sight-saving treatment. Any delays to injections, for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other macular conditions such as diabetic macular oedema (DMO), could lead to unnecessary sight loss. It is therefore vital that treatment is received on a regular, and timely, basis. Read our advice on what to do if you are experiencing delays.
How could artificial intelligence transform eye care?
Wen Hwa Lee, CEO and chief scientist at Action Against Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AAAMD), will join us to discuss artificial intelligence and the advances being made to detect eye diseases such as macular disease faster and more accurately at our first webinar of the month. Lee will also talk about a new project which aims to encourage people to submit eye scans for research, to accelerate the exciting progress being made.
Cost of living advice
As many of us are struggling with the rising cost of living, join our expert Colin Daniels at our second webinar of the month. Colin will tell you more about benefits you may be entitled to and how to access additional support, such as grants for equipment.
Entertaining calls to light up dark winter nights
Our weekly Winter Warmer calls continue into the new year. From diving into the history of British broadcasting, to finding out about the life and times of a society hostess and philanthropist, there’s plenty up for discussion with our Winter Warmer phone calls. These weekly calls run until the end of February.
Have your say on affordable access to eye care
OcuPlan, which launched a new partnership with the Macular Society at the end of 2022, is keen to understand more about the experiences of people living with macular disease and gather your feedback on the services it offers and how they could help you.
Five ways you can make a difference as a volunteer in 2023
From managing support groups to providing a listening ear on the telephone, there are many ways people are making a difference to the lives of people living with sight loss. In 2022, our army of volunteers played a key role in helping people to beat the fear and isolation
Advice and Information Service 0300 3030 111
help@macularsociety.org
